Foster Care Staff
Holly Gabby (she/her), MSW, LICSW – Foster Care Programs Director
Holly joined EVOLVE in 2016. Holly obtained her bachelor’s degree at Iowa State University in Child, Adult, and Family Services. She obtained her MSW in 2017 from the University of St Thomas and St. Catherine’s University. Holly started at EVOLVE working within our foster care and clinical departments. Since 2017, Holly has been in a leadership role within EVOLVE’s foster care and kinship programs. Holly completed her Permanency and Adoption Competency Certification through the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities in 2018. Prior to Holly’s experience at EVOLVE, she has experience working with parents navigating the child welfare system. Holly is passionate about advancing change within the child welfare and adoption system to ensure that family and youth voice is at the center of our work.
Lisette Cando (she/her), BSW, LSW – Foster Care Program Manager
Lisette joined EVOLVE Family Services in 2017 and obtained her BSW with a minor in Psychology from the University of St. Thomas in 2016. Initially, Lisette joined EVOLVE as a Foster Care Family Worker where she focused on licensing both relative/kin and traditional foster care providers. In 2019, Lisette was promoted to a lead position within the foster care program, and in 2022, she was promoted to Foster Care Program Manager at EVOLVE Family Services, which is the role she remains in today. Lisette understands the unique needs of children and youth in foster care and is skilled at having difficult conversations with families to best prepare them to foster/adopt children and to reduce the possibility of disruption. Lisette hopes to continue promoting equity within the child welfare system while supporting families, children, and youth.
Margot Hamlin (she/her), Foster Care Process Coordinator
Margot joined EVOLVE in 2022 and obtained her bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2023. She is currently pursuing a MSW at Augsburg University. In 2023, Margot completed an internship doing supervised parenting and engaged in developing healthy parenting strategies for families.
At EVOLVE, Margot’s responsibilities include facilitating informational meetings to prospective foster parents, conducting initial meetings with families to begin the licensing process, and ensuring families have completed the necessary requirements to be licensed for foster care in the state of Minnesota. In addition, Margot assists in writing social medical histories for foster and adopted youth and serves as administrative support to the foster care team.
As transracial and transnational adoptee, Margot understands the complexities and barriers that impact families and youth who have experienced separation and trauma. Margot is committed to healing and strengthening familial bonds, and advancing child welfare through an anti-racist, anti-oppressive, add trauma informed lens.
Nicole Kinsella (she/her), Foster Care Family Worker
Elizabeth Lee (she/her), Foster Care Family Worker
Stefanie Palmer (she/her), BSW, LSW, Foster Care Family Worker Lead
Stefanie first joined the EVOLVE team in 2019, after graduating from the University of St. Thomas with a BSW, she obtained her LSW shortly after graduation. Following two years as a Foster Care Family Worker with EVOLVE, Stefanie accepted a new position as a Communications and County Outreach Manager for a nonprofit focused on creating recruitment videos for children in the foster care system awaiting adoption.
Stefanie returned to the foster care team at EVOLVE in 2023 as the Foster Care Family Worker Lead. She greatly values EVOLVE’s commitment to anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices within the child welfare system, and she appreciates the opportunity to support families as they navigate the challenges of foster care.
Jordan Rueff (they/them, he/him), Foster Care Family Worker
Jordan obtained a B.S in Criminal Justice from the University of Central Florida in 2022. During their time in college, he interned at the state attorney’s office as a victim advocate working in the homicide and general felony divisions. After graduating, he worked as a shelter advocate at a domestic violence shelter. After this, Jordan decided it was time to explore social work outside of victim advocacy. He knew that he wanted his next job to have an environment where he could work with people who were equally as passionate about anti-racism and anti-oppression as they are.
Jordan decided during this time to move out of Florida and came to join EVOLVE in 2023. At EVOLVE, Jordan’s responsibilities include providing advocacy, resources, education and support to both foster providers and children in foster care. Additionally, he is responsible for licensing families for foster care and helping them to maintain their license. Jordan’s main goal while working at EVOLVE is to be transparent and flexible with the families he works with in order to make the hard process of fostering just a little bit easier.